The Supreme Court will hold oral arguments on April 25, the final day of its argument calendar, on former President Donald Trump's claims of immunity from criminal prosecution that could determine if he will face a trial before the November election on charges that he tried to overturn his 2020 election loss to President Joe Biden.
Trump's trial was to have started this week, but the court opted last week to consider Trump's claims after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit rejected his call for an immunity ruling, The Washington Post reported.
Trump, now the presumptive GOP nominee, has been trying to push back his trial in D.C., on charges brought by special counsel Jack Smith, and other criminal trials until after the general election.
Trump's pretrial won't start in Washington, D.C., until after the Supreme Court issues its ruling. That could come any time after the oral arguments are held, with the court expected to announce its decision before its term wraps up in early July or late June. If the ruling comes that late, it would likely push the trial into late summer or into the fall.
The Supreme Court ruled quickly on issuing a decision against the Colorado Supreme Court's ruling keeping Trump off that state's ballots, based on a clause in the 14th Amendment against allowing insurrectionists to hold office.
The court's ruling in the D.C. immunity case could also affect Trump's other legal proceedings. He has pleaded not guilty in all four criminal cases. He has also raised immunity questions in federal charges in Florida, where he is accused of illegally keeping classified documents after leaving the White House.
Trump also has pushed on the issue of immunity in Georgia, where he is charged with conspiracy to undo the state's 2020 election results.
Trump's other indictment is in New York, where he will face trial later this month in connection with allegedly falsifying records to hide hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 election.